Ahmed Shobier criticises son Mostafa after costly error in Egypt defeat

Ahmed Shobier has criticised his son Mostafa Shobeir after the goalkeeper’s mistake cost Egypt in their 1-0 defeat by South Africa on Sunday.

The Egypt goalkeeper left his area to clear a loose ball but was unable to make contact cleanly. South Africa forward Buso Ditheijan took possession and scored the only goal of the match.

Shobier, a former Al Ahly goalkeeper, said the goal resulted from a serious error by his son.

“South Africa scored from a blatant mistake by the goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir,” he said during an interview on the Al Nazer programme, broadcast on Al-Nahar channel.

He also referred to the advice traditionally given by former Egypt manager Mahmoud El Gohary to goalkeepers about dealing with attackers.

“Mahmoud El Gohary always taught us that the goalkeeper is like a pilot,” Shobier said. “You have no business trying to dribble. You take the ball over the attacker.”

Shobier said Mostafa had shown too much confidence in attempting to control the situation himself.

“There was excessive confidence from Mostafa Shobeir,” he added. “Mostafa wanted to dribble past the opponent after receiving the ball. That is not the goalkeeper’s job; it is for defenders and the other players.”

The former goalkeeper said he hoped the incident would help his son avoid similar mistakes in future matches.

“Hopefully Mostafa will have learned the lesson, because excessive confidence can sometimes lead to these results,” he said. “It should provide a lesson for the matches ahead.”

Egypt played two matches during the September international break in the opening two rounds of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.

They began the campaign with a goalless draw against Angola in Cairo before recording a 5-0 victory over South Sudan in the second round at Juba Stadium in South Sudan.